Thomas l



(No Model.) I 2Sheets-Sheet 2. T. L. MoKBEN & J. W. GAUMER.

GAR GOUPLING. Y No. 342,703W Patented'May 25, 1886.

UNrTED STATES VPATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS L. MCKEEN, OF EASTON, AND JOHN W'ESLEY GAUMER, OF VEISS- PORT, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID GAUMER ASSIGNOR TOSAID MOKEEN.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,703, dated May 25, 1886.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS L. Molinari, of Easton, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, and JOHN VESLEY GA'UMER, of lVeissport, in the county of Carbon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar- Couplings; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descripro tion of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of one end of a railway-car provided with our improved carcoupling, showing the pin raised. Fig. 2 is a similaiview showing the link raised by the link-controller. Fig. 3 is asimilar viewshow- 2o ing the pin raised and held raised so as not to couple. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the end of the car and of the draw-head. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the draw-head,showing portions broken away;

and Fig. G is a perspective detail View of the rocking block or latch.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Our invention has relation to automatic pinand-link couplings for railwaycars; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of a coupling, in which the pin may be raised and held raised, and in which the link may be guided by raising or lowering it by the same shaft and handles which raise the pin, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the' letter A indicates the draw-head, which is secured 4o to the car in any suitable manner, and the top and bottom of the recess B of the drawhead are formed with vertical perforatious C C, through which the pin D may pass. The upper side of the rear end of the recess is 4.5 formed with an upwardly-inclined extension, E, which forms a lip, F, between it and the perforation for the pin, and the lower end of which is provided with a forwardly-inclined lip, G, near the bottom of the recess, and a 5o block, H, lits and rocksin this extension, rcstdropped, holding it in position for entering another draw-head, while it will allow the ining with its lower edge behind theV inclined lip at the lower end of the extension, and resting with an upwardly-projecting portion, I, in the extension of the recess, the upper edge of this portion bearin g normally against the rearwardly-facing side vof the upper lip. The block or latch has a fo'rwardlyprojecting lip, J, against the upper side of which the end of the pin may rest when raised, the latch dropping forward by its own gravity, and the forwardly-inclined face K of the latch is formed with a rounded recess, L, for the reception of the end of the link. The upper face of the upwardly-projecting portion of the latch is formed with a recess, M, into which fits a coiled spring, N, having its end projecting beyoud the recess, and this spring will be of suftcient strength to'allow the block to hold the link projecting straight out when the pin is ner end of the link to be tilted slightly npward when coupling with a draw-head lower than the, dra\v-head having the link, so that the spring will bear the strain from the link without allowing the said strain to be exerted upon other portions of the draw-head. The bottom of the recess in the draw-head is formed with two longitudinal recesses, O O, at the side edges ofthe bottom, and two cam-plates, P P, having their upper forward corners, Q, rounded, are pivoted at their rear ends upon a bar, E, having its ends jonrnaled in the sides of the draw-head, and having its square portions fitting in square perforations S inv the cam-plates, and turning in perforations T in thc longitudinal ribs U U, forming the inner sides of the longitudinal recesses. One end of the bar or shaft upon which the cani-plates are secured is provided with a forwardly-projecting arm or shaft, V, to the outer end of which a connecting-rod, NV, is secured with its lower end, and the upper end of this connecting-rod is pivoted to the outer end of a bar, X, the inner end of which is pivoted to an arm, Y, projecting outwardly from the operating-shaft Z,which is journaled in transverse bearings A upon the front of the car, and provided with handles or levers B B at its ends, The rear upper corners, C', 10o

of the cani-plates are cut off obliquely and will bear against the rear ends of the longitudinal recesses in the draw-head when the said cam-plates are raised, preventing the said plates from being tilted too far up. The bar pivoted to the arm of the operatingshaft and to the upper end of the connecting-rod rests near its inner end upon the upper edge of a bracket, D', projecting from the end of the car and standing parallel to it, and it will be seen that when the transverse' operatingshaft is tilted so as to depress the outer end of the arm upon the same the inner end of the bar pivoted to the said arm will be depressed and the outer end will be raised, raising the arm or crank of the shaft for the cam-plates, and raising the outer ends of the cam-plates, which will raise t-he link E when the latter is in the draw-head, the said parts serving as a link-controller for the purpose of directing the link into the opposite draw-head. The pin D, which fits in the perforations in the top and bottom of the drawfhead, and which may rest upon the lips of the spriiigcushioned latch when raised, is provided with a chain, F', at its upper end, which chain is attached to an arm, H', projecting from the operating` shaft, so that the link may be disengaged from the drawhead by raising the pin, when the operatingshaft is so tilted that the arm is tilted upward. The operating-shaft slides laterally in its bearings, and the arm connected to the pin may be slid to rest upon a bracket, J', projecting from the front of the car, when the pin is raised and the arm tilted upward, thus preventing the pin from dropping down when the link enters the draw-head, and pushes the spring-cushioned latch backward and upward, enablinga car having the link projecting from its draw-head to be-pushed against a car having its link thus raised and secured without coupling the same. In this manner the pin may be operated and retained and the link raised or lowered by the same handle and operating-shaft, simplifying the construction of the coupling and its accessories, and rendering it more practical andless expensive than couplings in which the pin is operated by one handle or shaft and in which the lilik is operated and guided by other means.

By' means of the link-controller the link may be hooked upon a coupling having an upwardly-projecting hook, as well as be disenthe link to slide over them, and to force t-he plates down in their recesses. v

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head having longitudinal recesses in its bottom, and having a transverse bearing through the rear ends of the said recesses, a shaft rocking in the said bearing and having a forward]y-projecting arm at one end, and having cam-platese, secured at their rear ends toit and resting in recesses, a transverse operating-shaft upon the end of the car, abracket having its edge parallel with the shaft at a dis' tance from the same, a bar resting upon the edge of the bracket and having its inner end pivoted to the arm projecting from the operating-shaft, and a connecting-rod pivoted to the outer end of the said bar and having its lower end pivoted to the end of the arm upon the camshaft, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a drawhead having longitudinal recesses in its bottom and a transverse bearing intersecting the rear ends ofthe said recesses, a shaft journaled in the said bearing and having means for rocking it, and cam-plates securedat their inner ends upon the shaft and having their forward upper corners rounded, and having their upper rear corners cut ofi` obliquely to bear against the rear ends of the recesses, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

3. ln a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head having a recess formed'with vertical perforations in its top and bottom for the pin, and having an upwardly-inclined extension in its top,forming a downwardly-projecting lip between it and the upper perforation, and formed with a forwardly and upwardly projecting lip at its rear and lower end,wit-h a block or latch having an upwardlyprojecting extension formed with, a recess and having its lower edge resting inside of the lower lip in therecess, and having a forwardly projecting lip at its upper end for supporting the pin, and aninclined forward face formed with a roundedrecess for the reception of the end ofa link, said block or latch having a recess in its upper portion,and a coiled spring within and projecting from saidrecess, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereunto axed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS L. MOKEEN. JOHN WESLEY GAUMER.

i VitneSses:

O. R. MCCORMICK, J oHN S. NOBLE.

IOC 

